Large sea creature surfaces off NC coast. See the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ moment
.jpg "A college group experienced a “rare” sighting off the coast of North Carolina, officials said.")
A rarely seen humpback whale surprised students and researchers aboard a routine dolphin survey along the North Carolina coast, college officials said.
The recent April 19 field trip turned into a “once-in-a-lifetime experience” when the large creature unexpectedly appeared out of the water at the mouth of Cape Fear River, near Bald Head Island, Brunswick Community College officials said in a May 1 news release.
“There was so much life in the area — baitfish, diving birds, dozens of dolphins — and then we saw it,” Kim Jones, who is dean of arts and sciences at the school and led the expedition, said in the release.
Jones said this was the first humpback whale she had recorded in that area since April 2021, and that whale stayed in the area for about two weeks.
“There’s a lot of bait right now on the coast ... so that’s a great thing,” Jones told McClatchy News. “A nice, healthy whale that’s out there feeding is fantastic.”
She said she notified the University of North Carolina at Wilmington’s Marine Mammal Stranding program of the sighting, who said they were glad to hear about it.
A week later, researchers learned the whale was staying in the area, alongside several bottlenose dolphins and a school of menhaden, according to the release.
The whale was seen again on May 1 by Jones’ son and son-in-law, who run Seabbatical Fishing Charters, she said.
“They got a really nice video of the whale breaching right off Bald Head Island,” Jones said.
While it’s not “unusual” for whales to be in the area, but sightings have been fewer as the whale population decreases, according to Jones.
The dolphin surveys are part of a Community Collaborative Research Grant project sponsored by the North Carolina Sea Grant, school officials said.
Brunswick Community College is in Bolivia, North Carolina, about a 200-mile drive southeast from Charlotte.
This story was originally published May 2, 2025 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Large sea creature surfaces off NC coast. See the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ moment."
